Coiler for strip-like material



COILER FOR STRIP-LIKE MATERIAL 2 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed May 22, 1964 N. ma T615 m m5 4/ v .W H

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United States Patent 3,328,990 COILER FOR STRIP-LIKE MATERIAL Maurice Paul Sieger, Upper St. Clair Township, Allegheny County, and Jeremiah Wagner OBrien, Mount Lebanon, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignors to United Engineering and Foundry Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed May 22, 1964, Ser. No. 36?,568 Claims priority, application Great Britain, June 4, 1963, 22,143/ 63 Claims. (Cl. 72-448) This invention relates to a coiling apparatus for use in coiling strip material and, more particularly, to such an apparatus as employed in conjunction with the coiling of metallic strip as it issues from a rolling mill.

While the present invention has utility in various applications in the processing of metallic strip, it has found immediate acceptance in the coiling of hot strip and for the purpose of explaining and describing the invention, this application has been selected.

Coilers built in accordance with present day technology have proven to possess certain serious dis-advantages and limitations which were pointed up particularly by recently constructed hot strip mills. These mills were designed to produce extremely large diameter coils of very wide strip which was rolled to a very thin gauge. For example, the diameters of the coils were 80 inches, the width and thickness 74 inches, .050 inch, respectively.

One of these disadvantages has reference to the fact that in present day coilers it is extremely ditficult to properly restrain the strip from moving laterally as it is being wound on the mandrel of the coiler so that the coil is not formed with straight sides. In other words, certain convolutions of the coil protrude outward from the sides thereof, in which regard, when the coil is rotated to set it on one of its sides, the protruding convolutions are bent and deformed.

It must be appreciated that this tendency for the strip to move laterally has made the successful and consistent coiling of hot strip a diflic-ult task, even in the operation of mills with reduced speeds and where smaller diameter, narrow width coils are formed. One of the principal factors contributing to the lateral movement of the strip during coiling is the fact that the strip issuing from the hot finishing mill is poorly shaped, that is, the strip thickness varies across its width and the strip has an appreciable camber or longitudinally extending bow for a portion of its length. Since these two conditions are almost inherent, to a more or less degree, in the rolling process, when consideration is given to substantially increasing the speed of the mill, width of the coils, and rolling thinner gauges, it becomes obvious that one of the critical elements in the entire rolling mill plant is the coilers. Unless the coilers can be designed to meet the challenge, the production potential of the entire mill is frustrated.

One of the principal reasons why present day coilers cannot overcome or reduce the tendency of the strip to move laterally during coiling lies in the considerate distance that exists between the mandrel of the coiler and the bite of the pinch rolls, it being appreciated that for a coil having a diameter of 80 inches, this distance in some cases is approximately 10 feet. As a result, the strip is virtually unrestrained from lateral movement during this very critical period of travel.

Another disadvantage of present day coilers has reference to the fact that it is extremely diflicult to clear the coiler from cobbles, in view of the complicated congested arrangement of parts that surround the entire periphery of the mandrel of the coiler.

Another disadvantage that may be noted concerns the inaccessibility of the wrapper roll assemblies, which greatly inhibits the expediency and efficiency of performing maintenance of the wrapper roll assemblies.

Another disadvantage of present day coilers, par-ticularly in coilers designed to handle large diameter coils, resides in the fact that very long elongated wrapper roll supporting frames were required which due to their inherent elastic stretch during the coiling operation prevented proper ac-tion between the wrapper rolls and the mandrels.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a coiler which will, among other things, overcome each and every one of the aforesaid objections and disadvantages of present-day coilers.

The present invention provides a coiler characterized by the fact that its side adjacent the strip pass line is completely open and wherein the wrapper roll assemblies of the coiler are so constructed and arranged to be displaceable away from the mandrel in a manner to permit a coil to be formed on the mandrel, wherein the periphery of a completed coil may be arranged in close proximity to the strip pass line, and wherein the mandrel of the coiler is positioned beneath the pinch rolls that cooperates with the coiler, the net eifect being that the strip throat that extends between the pinch roll and mandrel is considerably reduced in comparison to present day coilers.

The invention also contemplates divorcing from the coiler one of the guides that form the throat between the pinch roll and the mandrel, and mounting the corresponding guide that forms the opposite side of the throat on one of the wrapper roll assemblies, so that by retracting the last mentioned guide and the one wrapper roll assembly, the periphery of a completed coil can be arranged immediately adjacent to the strip pass line and ready access is provided for the quick removal of a cobbler that may have formed in the throat.

The open top construction of the coil will also permit ready access to the wrapper roll assemblies when the coiler is retracted from under the table that is arranged above it, should retraction of the coiler be contemplated. The invention also contemplates in a design employing pivotally supported wrapper roll assemblies, providing for mounting the trunnion shafts that pivotally support the wrapper roll assemblies of the coiler in such a manner that they fall substantially on or below a horizontal plane tangent to the upper periphery of the mandrel wherein a very rigid coiler frame construction is obtained.

One form of the present invention provides a coiler having a mandrel arranged in a spaced-apart relationship with respect to the strip pass line and a pinch roll arranged at one side of the coiler having its bite substantially coincident with the pass line, comprising a frame including two support members for supporting on the opposite sides of the mandrel at least one wrapper roller assembly, the wrapper roller assemblies being supported by said support members substantially or below a horizontal plane tangent to the upper periphery of the mandrel, wherein the coiler frame is open on the side adjacent to the pass line and the wrapper assemblies are so constructed and supported by said support members that when they are retracted to their inoperative positions, they permit a coil to be formed on the mandrel, its periphery when completed coming to close proximity to said strip pass line, and at least a portion of the coiler being positioned in a superimposed position relative to the pinch rolls. Should it be desirable to retract the coiler laterally out from under the table which is sometimes done, the present invention contemplates cantileverly mounting the pinch rolls in a manner to permit the coiler to pass freely under the pinch rolls.

It will also be noted that the invention provides in one form for securing the table that extends above the coiler to the pinch rolls and for providing a truss which extends across the opening provided in the foundation for the coiler which truss receives and supports the drive of the pinch rolls.

These objects and advantages, as well as others, will be more clearly understood and appreciated when the following specification is read in light of the accompanying drawings of which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view from the operators side of the downcoiler incorporating the features of the present invention and also including a partial showing of some of the associated equipment; and

FIGURE 2 is a second elevational view taken from the drive side of the coiler.

With reference to FIGURE 1 there is illustrated a strip entry table over which a strip is fed in the direction indicated by the arrow to the pinch roll assembly 11 consisting of an upper roll 12 and a lower roll 13. The rolls of the pinch roll assembly are rotatably received in an overhung horizontal frame 14 which is secured to the foundation 15 that forms one side of a pit 16. On the delivery side of the pinch roll assembly 11 serving as an extension of the delivery table 10, there is a coiler table 17 having its ends adjacent to the pinch roll secured to the frame 14 thereof at a location 18, the other end of the coiler table being secured to a supporting beam 19 which is carried by a foundation 21 that forms one side of the pit 16.

Within the pit 16 there is arranged a downcoiler 22. As previously mentioned, it is a feature of the present invention to arrange the mandrel 23 of the downcoiler in such a position that the distance between the mandrel and the bite of the pinch rolls 12 and 13 will be kept as short as possible. To accomplish this purpose, the coiler is provided with a frame consisting of a longitudinally extending base member 24 having an upright member 25 at its left hand side as one views FIGURE 1, to which there is rotatably secured a transversely arranged trunnion shaft 26. As illustrated in FIGURE 1 the construction of the frame allows the top of the coiler to be entirely open, in which connection the upright member 25 of the frame terminates on or below the upper periphery of the mandrel 23. At the other end of the base 24, a second transversely arranged trunnion shaft 27 is rotatably secured thereto. In addition, the trunnion shaft 26 has a complementary trunnion shaft 28, likewise, the trunnion shaft 27 has a complementary trunnion shaft 29, the former being rotatably carried by the upright member 25 and the latter by the base member 24. To the trunnion shaft 26 there is connected an arm 31, to the trunnion shaft 28 an arm 32 is connected, the opposite ends of these arms being connected to a frame 33 of the wrapper roll assembly 34 which, in addition, consist of a roller 35 and a segmental guide 36. The shafts 26-28, 2729 are arranged on or below a horizontal plane tangent to the upper periphery of the mandrel 23, thus leaving the top of the coiler entirely open.

To the trunnion shaft 27, there is connected a pair of relatively movable interconnecting arms 38, the upper arm being secured to a frame 39 of a second wrapper roll assembly 41. The lower end of the frame 39 is pivotally connected to the trunnion shaft 29. The second wrapper roller assembly 41 is provided with a roller 42 and a segmental guide 43. The upper roller assemblies are moved into and out of their operative positions by individual piston cylinder assemblies 40, FIGURE 1 showing the two positions, while FIGURE 2 shows the inoperative positions of each of the wrapper roller assemblies.

In still referring to the wrapper roller assembly 41, it will be noted that at its upper end there is formed thereon a guide 44 which forms a substantial portion of the throat 45 of the coiler 22 that extends between the pinch rolls 12 and 13 and the mandrel 23 when the wrapper roller assembly 41 is in its operative position. The upper end of the guide 44 has an extension guide 46a which breaches the gap between the guide 44 and the lower pinch roll 13. Opposed to the guide 44 and pivotally secured to the table 17 serving as a complementary guide for the throat 45, there is provided a guide 46. This guide is mounted on a shaft 47 and connected to a piston cylinder assembly 48 that pivotally moves the guide from an outline position to a substantially horizontal full line position shown in FIGURE 1 for which reason the upper surface of the guide is cut away at 47 so that it will not interfere with the adjacent roller 50 of the table 17 and make posslble that the periphery of the maximum diameter coil can assume a position in immediate proximity to the bottom of the roller 50, as FIGURE 1 clearly indicates by the solid line form of the maximum diameter coil. The two quadrants which are adjacent to the table 17 are entirely open once the wrapper roll assemblies 34 and 41 are retracted so that a coil can be formed in the open spaces between the pinch roll and mandrel. The construction permits the maximum diameter coil to be brought as closely as possible to the pinch rolls 12 and 13 where the periphery of the maximum coil falls in a vertical plane containing the pinch roll 12. Also, the distance between the axis of the mandrel and the path of travel of the strip is approx mately equal to the sum of the radius of the coil and diameter of the table rollers 50.

A trailing roller 51 is also provided, which as shown in FIGURE 1 is rotatably carried by an L shaped arm 52 having its upper end pivotally secured to the upright member 25, and its lower end to a rod of a piston cylinder assembly 53a. The roller 51 is brought into contact with a completed coil to keep its trailing end against the body thereof.

As FIGURE 2 illustrates, the motor 53 provided for driving the lower pinch roll 13 is supported by a truss 54 that extends across the pit 16 being supported by the foundations 15 and 21 at its opposite ends. FIGURE 2 also shows the unrestricted relationship of the elements of the coiler with respect to the truss 54. A similar truss, while not shown is provided for the motor provided for driving upper pinch roll 12.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the present adaptation of the invention contemplates the withdrawal of the entire coiler 22, including the mandrel 23, out from under the table 17, for which purpose the base portion 24 of the frame 20 is mounted on guide ways 54a and 55 and a piston cylinder assembly 56 is connected to the coiler 22. In view of the fact that the pinch roll assembly 11 is overhung, as previously described, the coiler 22 is permitted to be moved laterally without any interference and at the same time the construction allows the right-hand side of the coiler, as one views FIGURE 1, to be mounted under the pinch roll assembly whereby the mandrel is kept as close as possible to the pinch rolls 12 and 13, and accordingly, reducing the length of the throat 45 between the pinch rolls and mandrel 23.

From the above, it will be seen that the described coiler overcomes each one of the aforesaid enumerated objections of present day coilers and accomplishes each of the advantages that have been previously pointed out. It will be noted in FIGURE 2 that the present invention permits the mandrel to be so located that the distance between the mandrel and the pinch roll substantially equals or is less than that of the diameter of the maximum size coil formed on the mandrel 23, thereby reducing the length of the throat 45 to practically the very minimum distance. As previously noted, the herein disclosed frame construction of the coiler will provide a very rigid construction assuring proper cooperation between the wrapper roller assemblies 34 and 41 and the mandrel 23.

the table 10, operate the pinch rolls 12 and 13 to cause the cobbled piece of strip to fall down to the base of the coiler Where it can be quickly removed. In certain applications it may be desirable todeflect or retract the guide 46 should it be necessary to provide a greater area for removal of a cobbled strip.

While the coiler illustrated incorporates pivotal wrapper roll assemblies, it will be appreciated that the assemblies could be constructed to move in a straight line of travel, as is sometimes done.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the principle and operation of our invention and have illustrated and described What we consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. However, we desire to have it understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

We claim:

1. A coiler for coiling strip-like material deflected from a longitudinal path of travel comprising:

a rotatable mandrel adapted to receive said material and form a predetermined maximum diameter coil,

said mandrel spaced from said path of travel a predetermined distance,

a frame mounted on the side of the mandrel furthest away from the path of travel and terminating in the direction of the path of travel at a point on or below a horizontal plane tangent to the side of the mandrel adjacent to said path of travel in a manner to provide an opening between the mandrel and a continuation of the path of travel,

said opening extending between said point of tangency and point of deflection of the material, and being defined by a distance substantially equal to or less than the maximum diameter coil formed on said mandrel,

at least two material guiding assemblies movable relative to said frame adapted to be brought in a guiding relationship with different portions of the mandrel for causing the material to be coiled thereon, and

support means for said guiding assemblies carried by said frame and located with respect to said mandrel so that when the assemblies are moved away from said mandrel a coil can be unrestrictively formed in said opening and wherein the periphery of the maximum coil is formed closely adjacent to a continuation of the path of travel.

2. A coiler for coiling strip-like material deflected from a longitudinal path of travel comprising:

a rotatable mandrel adapted to receive said material and form a predetermined maximum diameter coil,

said mandrel spaced from said path of travel a predetermined distance,

a frame mounted on the side of the mandrel furthest away from the path of travel and terminating in the direction of the path of travel in a manner to provide an opening between the mandrel and a continuation of the path of travel,

at least two material guiding assemblies movable relative to said frame adapted to be brought in a guiding relationship with different portions of the mandrel for causing the material to be coiled thereon, and

support means for said guiding assemblies carried by said frame, said support means being located on or below a horizontal plane tangential to the side of the mandrel adjacent to said path of travel, whereby when the guiding assemblies are moved away from the mandrel a coil can be unrestrictedly formed in said opening between the mandrel and the path of travel and wherein the periphery of the maximum coil can be formed closely adjacent to a continuation of the path of travel of the material. 3. A coiler according to claim 2 including a pit into which the coiler is received, 5 pinch rolls mounting in a housing which extends into said pit on one side thereof,

a table mounted above the coiler for conveying material over the coiler,

one end of said table carried by the housing of said pinch rolls, and

a truss extending over the pit carrying means for driving at least one of said pinch rolls.

4. A coiler in accordance with claim 2 wherein said frame includes a longitudinally extending base and an up right portion,

said upright portion arranged at the side of the mandrel opposite said point of deflection of said material,

a pair of arms pivotally interconnecting one of said strip guiding assemblies and the upper portion of said upright frame portion,

said pivot points of said strip-guiding assemblies falling in a substantially horizontal plane passing substantially through the axis of the mandrel.

5. A coiler for coiling strip-like material deflected from a longitudinal path of travel comprising:

a rotatable mandrel adapted to receive said material and form a predetermined maximum diameter coil,

said mandrel spaced from said path of travel a predetermined distance,

a table including a plurality of rollers arranged to convey undeflected material over the mandrel,

a pair of pinch rolls arranged to one side of the mandrel adapted to alternately deflect material to the mandrel or to allow it to pass onto the said table,

a frame mounted on the side of said mandrel furthest away from the path of travel, in which the frame is so constructed that the quadrant formed by vertical and horizontal planes passing through the axis of the mandrel into which the deflected material first passes is unrestricted by said frame,

said mandrel being located relative to the table and said pinch roll, such that in one direction the. periphery of the maximum coil formed on said mandrel falls substantially in the same vertical plane containing at least one of said pinch rolls and in another direction the distance between the axis of the mandrel and the said path of travel is approximately equal to the sum of the radius of the maximum coil and the diameter of the table rollers,

at least two material guiding assemblies movable relative to said frame adapted to be brought into a guiding relationship with different portions of the mandrel for causing the material to be coiled thereon, and

support means for said guiding assemblies carried by said frame.

6. In a coiler according to claim '5, including a material guiding throat between said strip deflecting means and said mandrel,

said throat constituting a first means for guiding one surface of the material as'it passes to said mandrel, and

a second means carried by one of said guiding assemblies for guiding the opposite surface of the material,

means for displacing said first means so that the periphery of a coil can be formed immediately adjacent the path of travel, and

means for moving said one guiding assembly away from the mandrel whereby an opening is formed in the throat.

7. A coiler according to claim 5 wherein said pair of pinch rolls are cantileverly supported, and

means for moving at least a portion of the frame of the coiler under the pinch rolls.

8. A coiler in accordance with claim 5 including means 75 for supporting said pinch rolls in a manner to overhang a portion of said frame, one of said strip guiding assemblies, and a portion of the coil, the construction of the pinch roll adjacent a portion of said frame being such that an opening extends between the pinch roll and that portion of the frame.

9. A coiler in accordance with claim wherein said frame carries trunnion shafts for pivotally supporting said guiding assemblies, the axes of the trunnion shafts falling on or below said horizontal tangential plane.

10. A coiler for coiling strip-like material deflected for a longitudinal path of travel including a rotatable mandrel arranged away from said path of travel upon which the material is coiled, characterized by the combination of a frame (20) arranged on the side of the mandrel (23) farthest away from the path of travel (10) to provide an opening between the mandrel and a continuation (17) of the path of travel,

at least two strip-guiding assemblies (34), (41) carried by and movable relative to said frame and adapted to be brought into a guiding relationship with different portions of the mandrel for causing the material to be coiled thereon,

said assemblies being supported by said frame for pivotal movement about axes which fall on a common side of a horizontal plane passing through the axis of said mandrel whereby said assemblies can be moved away from said mandrel so that a coil can be unrestrictively formed in said opening,

a pair of pinch rolls (12), (13) for deflecting the material, overhanging portions of said frame in a direction perpendicular to a vertical plane passing through the axis of the mandrel,

a material guiding throat between said pinch rolls and said mandrel, said throat comprising first guide means (46) for guiding one surface of the material as it passes to said mandrel and second guide means (44) carried by one of said guiding assemblies for guiding the opposite surface of the material,

said first guide means being displaceable so that the periphery of a coil can be formed immediately adjacent the path of travel, and

said one guiding assembly (41) being movable, together with said second guide means away from the mandrel so that said second guide means can be positioned under the pinch rolls whereby said throat is opened to accommodate a coil which has its periphery formed immediately adjacent said continuation of said path of travel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,935,092 11/1933 Iversen et al. 72148 2,918,226 12/1959 OBrien 72148 3,062,470 11/1962 OBrien et a1 72148 3,240,043 3/1966 Sieger 72148 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,185,874 2/1959 France.

738,937 10/1955 Great Britain.

867,086 5/ 1961 Great Britain.

CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

A. L. HAVIS, L. A. LARSON, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A COILER FOR COILING STRIP-LIKE MATERIAL DEFLECTED FROM A LONGITUDINAL PATH OF TRAVEL COMPRISING: A ROTATABLE MANDREL ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID MATERIAL AND FORM A PREDETERMINED MAXIMUM DIAMETER COIL, SAID MANDREL SPACED FROM SAID PATH OF TRAVEL A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, A FRAME MOUNTED ON THE SIDE OF THE MANDREL FURTHEST AWAY FROM THE PATH OF TRAVEL AND TERMINATING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE PATH OF TRAVEL AT A POINT ON OR BELOW A HORIZONTAL PLANE TANGENT TO THE SIDE OF THE MANDREL ADJACENT TO SAID PATH OF TRAVEL IN A MANNER TO PROVIDE AND OPENING BETWEEN THE MANDREL AND A CONTINUATION OF THE PATH OF TRAVEL, SAID OPENING EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID POINT OF TANGENCY AND POINT OF DEFLECTION OF THE MATERIAL, AND BEING DEFINED BY A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO OR LESS THAN THE MAXIMUM DIAMETER COIL FORMED ON SAID MANDREL, AT LEAST TWO MATERIAL GUIDING ASSEMBLIES MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME ADAPTED TO BE BROUGHT IN A GUIDING RELATIONSHIP WITH DIFFERENT PORTIONS OF THE MANDREL FOR CAUSING THE MATERIAL TO BE COILED THEREON, AND SUPPORT MEANS FOR SAID GUIDING ASSEMBLIES CARRIED BY SAID FRAME AND LOCATED WITH RESPECT TO SAID MANDREL SO THAT WHEN THE ASSEMBLIES ARE MOVED AWAY FROM SAID MANDREL A COIL CAN BE UNRESTRICTIVELY FORMED IN SAID OPENING AND WHEREIN THE PERIPHERY OF THE MAXIMUM COIL IS FORMED CLOSELY ADJACENT TO A CONTINUATION OF THE PATH OF TRAVEL. 